Today, more than ever before, information plays an increasingly important role in the lives of people and businesses. The Internet has transformed how goods and services are bought and sold between consumers, between businesses and consumers, and between businesses. In a macro sense, highly-competitive business environments cannot afford to squander any resources. On the consumer side, time and convenience can be valuable commodities especially when both spouses work outside the home and articles of commerce such as products and services must be procured on a regular basis. Accordingly, information can be utilized for the benefit of all parties.
Network operators and providers (both cellular as well as non-cellular) are spending enormous amounts of money and resources in infrastructure to support bringing more homes and businesses online. For example, cellular operators are scrambling to provide the infrastructure which allows a cellular customer to access IP networks (e.g., the Internet) and associated IP services via the cellular network. Thus, a cellular customer can now purchase a cell phone that allows access to multimedia that is available on the Internet. In another example, a cell phone user can also message an IP node (another user) on the Internet, and read e-mail from the user's e-mail provider based on the Internet. Thus, mechanisms are being put into place to allow for new uses of the information.
For example, users can access weather information via the Internet or have such information transmitted to them in many different ways. Geolocation services (e.g., Global Positioning System) now allow a user to know accurately where they are, that is, user context; this capability becoming more commonplace in vehicles and portable wireless devices, for example. Additionally, sensor systems are utilized more to sense aspects of the user and user environment, and thereafter, using this sensed information to improve user efficiency and management of the user environment.
The Internet and wireless networks continue to serve as catalysts for processing information in new and different ways such as reaching millions of potential customers, for example. In view of such technological advances in hardware and software systems, there is an ongoing and increasing desire to utilize information in combination with these systems to improve the quality of life of individuals and to provide more effective mechanisms for conducting business.